Word for "a person who imitates their hero"?

Question

And when I say hero, I mean like, anachronistic, fairy tale, knight in shining armor, fighting dragons, chivalric romance, kind of hero.

I need the word for a title for a piece of content that I made for game, (Dungeons & Dragons if you must know, though I don't think that has much to do with the question at hand) which I'd like to share with others in the gaming community I participate in. The title is the only thing I have to work with to get people's attention and communicate the theme without the audience actually clicking the link. (It will just appear as a single word in a massive list of other stuff other people have made) The name I give it is the only marketing tool I've got, so it's important that the word be accurate, or people will pass it over or click on it out of misunderstanding.

An example would be a person who idolizes Ghandi, and decides to model their values and life off of his actions, by becoming a civil rights activist. They don't dress like Ghandi, or use all of the same methods as him, or even necessarily agree with all of his ideas in detail, but they do pattern their life after his achievements. The example I was planning on using in the text is Don Quixote, despite him being fictional, delusional, and more than a little extreme.

Imitator and copycat give a juvenile impression- like a 6-year-old acting like his older brother. That would be thematically inaccurate.

I also do not want a word with religious overtones like idolator, zealot, or fanatic, as these would be misleading, giving the implication that the game element would make their character a cultist of some sort. (Cultists are a regular theme as enemies in these games, so it's not much of a leap.)

Romantic seems close, but with the contemporary common usage of that word, just seems off.

I am not sure if this word even exists. I think it does. It feels like it's on the tip of my tongue, but I've been thinking about it for two months now with no luck.

Answer 1

How about disciple?

disciple: one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another; a convinced adherent of a school or individual [Merriam-Webster]

disciple: person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another; follower [Dictionary.com]

disciple: one who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another [The Free Dictionary]

disciple: a person who believes in the ideas and principles of someone famous and tries to live the way that person does or did [Cambridge]

disciple: a follower or student of a teacher, leader, or philosopher [Oxford]

I can easily imagine using disciple in a video game. I like it better than sidekick. :-)

Answer 2

Perhaps a follower.

M-W:

1b : one that follows the opinions or teachings of another

1c : one that imitates another

Answer 3

When you emulate someone, you imitate them, especially with the idea of matching their success. When someone is impressive because of their great skills, brains, strength, or accomplishments, other will emulate. To emulate is to imitate and model yourself after someone.

Merriam-Webster defines the word thus:

em·u·late: \ˈem-yə-ˌlāt, -yü-: to try to be like (someone or something you admire)

Full Definition transitive verb

1 a : to strive to equal or excel b : imitate; especially : to imitate by means of an emulator

2 : to equal or approach equality with

Other forms: em·u·lat·ed; em·u·lat·ing

Examples

She grew up emulating her sports heroes.

artists emulating the style of their teachers

Origin: Latin aemulatus, past participle of aemulari, from aemulus rivaling.

First use: 1582

Answer 4

Wannabe.

American Heritage:

1. One who aspires to a role or position.

2. One who imitates the behavior, customs, or dress of an admired person or group.

3. A product designed to imitate the qualities or characteristics of something. adj. Wishing or aspiring to be; would-be.

Definition 2.